3 Little Words
by Magus732
Summary: A tale of 2 hearts... one hardened by tragedy, the other still soft inside... both struggling to find some inner peace... takes place some years before "Once Again"... inspired by the song "The Rescue" by Search The City. Ch. 6 is up!
1. First Impression

Max stared at the door in front of him. He couldn't believe he was about to meet Starling; the Interceptor was his personal hero, after all. He would never admit it, but he had developed a crush on the human. Ugh, the very thought of it nearly made him gag. But, something about this young woman enticed him. He simply couldn't deny her even the most ridiculous request. That's how he knew...

...

"Hold on, hold on!" Starling said impatiently. She'd been reviewing her mission report before sending it to the Council, and had wanted to make sure it didn't have any errors in it.

"Yes?" She finally answered the door, which slid open with a soft whoosh. There, standing in her doorway, was a nervous young Onyxian, looking around skittishly as others nearby turned to stare. She smiled when he turned to see if she'd answered. Apparently, he hadn't heard her door open, and yelped a bit when he saw her, nearly losing his balance in the process. He nervously cleared his throat, and tried to speak. Unfortunately for him, nothing came out.

"Max?" She finally pieced together who he was. He nodded, still unable to speak. She pulled him into a soft hug, which nearly made him melt. As she pulled away, his ability to speak still hadn't returned.

"Don't be so nervous, hun... come on in... I think we need to talk about a few things..." She said enigmatically. He dumbly followed her in, his eyes alight with awe as he looked around. _"I'm in _Starling's_ home!" _He thought to himself. He was greeted to an understandably impatient Sky Knight staring at him when he failed to take a seat. He nervously sat, hands shaking a bit as he fumbled in his cloak pocket.

"I-I wrote something you should read..." He finally spoke, softly but clearly. He handed her a piece of crisp paper, which she promptly opened and began reading. After several minutes of silence, she looked up to speak again.

"Max, this is so beautiful! How did you-" She finally noticed he was gone, her door strangely open again.

...

Max panted as his knees shook. This was the beginning of something wonderful. He just... didn't know it yet...

Author's Note: In case you couldn't tell, this is how Max and Starling fell in love...


	2. Revelation

Starling spent the next several days trying to track down the extremely elusive Onyxian. When she finally did, he pretended he didn't know her. Finally, frustrated at his dispassionate attitude, she pulled him off into a back alley.

"Max, why do you keep avoiding me?"

"Because!" He suddenly shouted, after which he promptly covered his mouth with his 4-fingered hands. His face darkened with a deep blush, and he looked down at his feet, which shuffled nervously.

"Because why?" She demanded. When he finally looked up at her, he saw the strangest combination of feelings in his eyes; a mix of disgust and lust.

"Because... because... we're not supposed to care..." He finally answered. She blinked a bit, but pressed him for more.

"What do you mean, 'you're not supposed to care?'" She queried. He glared at her, which wasn't hard because he was about a half-inch taller than her.

"We Onyxians are told from a young age that emotions are an unacceptable risk. We're taught how to suppress them, keep them under control." He turned to look skyward.

"Max, have you ever considered that, because _humans_ are that way, you may need to understand-"

"I have no interest in you HUMANS!" He screamed angrily, eyes now filled with hatred. He raised his hands to her neck, clamping down roughly and lifting the Sky Knight off her feet and shaking her in emphasis.

"Don't you get it!? We _can't _get involved! It's... it's disgraceful!" He realized that he was hurting her, and slowly lowered her back to the ground. His eyes returned to their normal impassivity as she coughed and gasped for air. After finally regaining her breath, she put 2 and 2 together, and realized just what it was he was saying.

"Max, are you... are you saying you have feelings for me?" She asked with hesitation, unsure how he'd respond. His eyes slowly filled with tears as he looked at her again. His slow nod told her what she wanted to hear.

"Max, I'm not asking you to _marry_ me; I just want to get to know you!" She said, obviously unsure what his problem was. She watched with a curious look as he wiped the tears away. He told her they had company by slowly turning his head to face the newcomer.

"Max, it's time to go. We have an appointment with the Chancellor, and I _don't_ want to be late." Krala said, staring at the Mesan with a suspicious glance. The hybrid walked along with the black-skinned woman as they left together. But as he left, he did something she never expected; he turned to face her after Krala had left her view, and blew her a kiss.

Starling smiled slyly. Maybe... just maybe she was getting through...


	3. Exploring The Unknown

"Hey, Max..." Starling greeted him casually. The Onyxian slowly turned to look at her, a shy smile on his lips.

"H-hey, Starling..." He replied nervously. He shuffled his feet a little, trying not to say something stupid. Suddenly, without any pretext, the Interceptor planted her lips over his. He moaned in surprise, prying her loose with relative ease.

"St-Starling, what are y-you doing!?" He backed up slowly, trying to keep his distance. The older woman came closer, smiling devilishly. Again, she embraced the warrior, hanging on to him as well as she could. This time, he didn't pull away. As the pair kissed, Max slid his long tongue into Starling's mouth, making her moan in surprise. She closed her eyes in content as he licked inside her mouth, moaning as his tongue made its way toward her throat. She ran her hands up and down his back as he pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her to keep her near. After a few minutes of this, they broke the kiss, both panting lightly. Surprisingly, no one had noticed the lovebirds making out in public. Max ran his hand through the woman's purple hair, admiring its silky sheen.

"Starling, I... I-I..." She placed a finger over his lips, softly shushing him as she pulled him into another passionate kiss.

"I know, Max... you don't have to say it..."

"What? S-Say what?" He asked nervously.

"Nothing... don't worry about it..."

"O-okay..." He was suddenly nervous again. The Interceptor set out to correct that.

"Do you remember the first time we met?"

"S-sure, Starling... of course I do..." He answered without hesitation. They both thought back to their first moment alone together.

_Flashback... 6 years ago..._

"Thanks for the assistance, human... now, my I ask why you're here?"

"My name is Starling... and I'm _here_ because your commander called for help..."

"Wait... do I know you?" Max looked Starling up and down, swearing under his breath that he'd seen her before.

"It... it's you!" His eyes widened in recognition; she was the woman who saved him from certain death when he was a child.

"What're you talking about!? I've never seen you before in my life!" The Interceptor shouted back, annoyed that he couldn't stay on topic. Suddenly, she saw the look in his eyes, and smiled nervously.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" The young Onyxian blushed heavily, trying to shield his face from her. He made his way over to the edge of the flight deck, preparing to jump for safety.

"Hey, wait a minute! Don't jump!!" She grabbed him by the shoulders, pulling him into a hug to get him away from the edge. He sobbed into her shoulder, clutching her tightly.

"Thank you! Thank you!!" He said over and over. She was still puzzled, but held him tighter, fearing he'd let go of her and jump off into the battle below.

"C'mon, let's get you inside... we need to clean out these wounds."

...

Max cried out in agony as an alcohol-antibiotic mixture burned fiercely in his cuts and gashes, tightly clutching the sides of the tub as tears streamed down his face.

"I know this hurts, but please try to remain still... it'll help keep everything from getting worse..." Starling softly reassured him. She saw the look of calm on his face when she told him this, but she paid it no mind.

"What's your name?" She queried. He said nothing, obviously too lost in his own world to reply. She went back to her work, fearing she'd upset him.

"Max." He suddenly replied, his voice quiet but clear.

"What?"

"My name... it's Max..."

"Max... good to know you're still in there..." She joked, trying to lighten the mood. Once again, he said nothing. For the next few minutes, the pair silently did what they could to bandage and clean his wounds. By nightfall, he was resting in a spare bedroom aboard the Interceptors' carrier, asleep for the first time in nearly a week. The young woman watched over him, changing his bandages every few hours and keeping him calm as they made their way out of hostile skies to rendezvous with the _Scimitar_. As both ships sat side-by-side in an open clearing, Krala made her way over to Starling's ship, and the Interceptors' Sky Knight went out to greet her.

"Thank you for rescuing Max. It is definitely reassuring to know that we have allies in this conflict." Krala stated proudly. Starling helped Max over to his group, one hand around his back as she steadied his gait. When Krala saw just how bad Max was, she ran over and took over for the Interceptor. She quietly thanked the young woman, rushing to get Max back aboard the _Scimitar_. Suddenly, he turned around to look back at her. Slowly, he smiled for the first time since they'd met.

_Present day..._

"I'll never forget what you said to me that night..."

"What?" Max asked absently, lost in her eyes.

"You... you told me you loved me..."

"I-I... I did not..." He protested nervously. Starling giggled a bit.

"Who were you talking about?"  
"What do you mean?"

"You said 'It's you!' before we went inside... who was it you were talking about?"

"Well, S-Starling... it's a bit of a story..."


	4. A Little History

"Max, you didn't have to go to all this trouble for me..." Starling cooed, smiling sweetly to the blushing Onyxian sitting across from her. After Max insisted on a specific restaurant where they should have their second date (one which, coincidentally, had an enormous price tag), they settled in for a romantic evening. Or, at least, _Starling_ did. They sat and talked for over 6 hours, Max insisting that Starling buy whatever she wanted. Uncertain of his intentions, she ordered non-alcoholic drinks for the both of them.

"So, Max... you've gotten awfully quiet over there... something the matter?" The Interceptor curiously raised an eyebrow as he produced an old, weathered photograph and handed it to her. It depicted him, albeit no more than 2 or 3 years old, laughing happily as he sat on the shoulders of a purple-haired young woman with emerald eyes, who smiled from ear to ear as a white-skinned Onyxian female hugged her tightly, wrapping her thin arms around the human's ample bosom. Starling did a double take as she looked at the human in the picture.

"Max... that's my mother!"

"I-I had a feeling..." He responded nervously.

"How..." She began. Max shook his head.

"Like I said, Starling, i-it's a long story."

"What happened? And why are you all bruised and banged up?"

"You mother... she rescued me after I got lost in an open market on Saharr. A few older human kids starting picking on me, and when I tried to leave..." Tears slowly slid down his long, thin face, his voice breaking slightly as the pain resurfaced. He whimpered a bit as he turned away from her, unable to hold back the tears now streaming down his cheeks.

"Max..."

"They beat me to a pulp! And left me to die in the streets!" He openly sobbed, drawing much attention to their table as he lowered his head. Starling scooted closer and hugged him around his shoulders, softly rubbing his back and whispering comfortingly in his pointed ears.

"It's okay, Max... shh... it's alright..." After a few minutes, he finally settled down.

"You must... think... I'm really fucking pathetic..." He stated, somewhat jokingly, between ragged breaths. The young woman kissed his cheek as he lifted his head, smiling sweetly as she wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Not at all, Max... considering that you could've died, and instead became such a strong, handsome young man, you have to be the strongest person I know..."


	5. Probing Too Deep

As Max slowly undressed himself, he saw his beautiful lover emerge from the bathroom, stark naked. This was the first time the two of them had been alone together, naked, _and_ sober. On their third date, Max had gotten too drunk to get home on his own. Starling managed to convince him to let her take him to a hotel, and after arriving, she took advantage of his intoxication to satisfy her curiosity. She had teasingly asked him about a certain part of his physiology on numerous occasions, but he never gave her a straight answer.

"Mmm... well, well, well... I don't know why you're always so nervous around me, big man..." The Interceptor cooed softly as she eyed his manhood and licked her lips suggestingly. His 16-inch organ dangled between his legs as he finally removed his pants, but as she came over, it quickly stood to attention. She stroked it gently, eliciting a soft moan from the hybrid. As his upper body shivered a bit, she knelt down and placed his raging hard-on between her large, firm breasts, making him moan even louder. Her lips caressed his shaft as she began bobbing up and down, her hands pressing her tits around his cock as she pleasured him. His shaky hands found the back of her head, and as his eyes rolled into the back of his head, he instinctively begged her for more.

"St-Starling, you're so go-good at this!" He moaned louder as she bobbed harder, her chin sinking into her bosom as she deep-throated him. He threw his head back and screamed in pleasure, gripping her short, purple hair tightly as she went even harder. His cock was throbbing hard by now, and Starling knew it wasn't much longer until he'd cum. Suddenly, she pulled away, pushing him onto the bed, flat on his back. With a wicked smirk, she jumped on top of him, pinning him down as she slowly slid him into her womanhood. As she was penetrated, she screamed in pleasure herself, clutching her tits and playing with her erect nipples as she bounced up and down in his lap. His hands moved to her thighs as he bucked his hips in time with her, bouncing her harder as her screams grew louder. They moaned and screamed each others' names until Max pressed his hands into her thighs and flooded her with hot jizz, making her scream as her walls clamped down on him tightly. Thoroughly exhausted, she collapsed on top of him. Beads of sweat dotted her silky-smooth forehead as she stared down at him. _He_ was a different story; his hair was mussed up and he was panting lightly, but a dark blush still stained his cheeks. It grew just a bit darker when he saw her lying on top of him. Seeing an opportunity, he slowly wrapped his arms around her, resting his hands in the small of her back.

"Max... that... was the best... I've ever had... in my whole life..." Starling said between pants as she struggled to regain her breath. He slowly lifted himself off the bed, flipped around so he was on top, and kissed her passionately, his long black tongue snaking its way into her welcoming mouth. As they finally parted lips, he smiled shyly.

"Really?"

"Yes... really..." She narrowed her eyes and kissed him even more passionately. They moaned into each others' mouths as they sat up, both running their hands over their partner's body. She found a sweet spot between his shoulder blades as he moaned lightly. She caressed it inquisitively, hearing him let out a low, sultry growl as she did. She got behind him and began massaging his shoulders, watching with a smile as he laid flat on his face and moaned in content. She leaned her weight into her massage as he gripped the edges of the pillow, clawing into it as she went to work. She smiled bigger as she leaned in and kissed his neck softly, savoring the scent of his skin as she prepped him for more. His eyes slowly closed as he allowed himself to be swallowed by the pleasure. He moaned continuously, encouraging her to keep going. She softly blew on the back of his neck, making his eyes shoot open from the suddenness of it. As he slowly flipped onto his back, she pinned him down, planting feral kisses on his chest. That's when she noticed...

"Max... when did you get these scars? They look like they haven't healed..." She looked him from top to bottom, noting the depth and size of the scars, which ran from under his neck to just above his navel. They were symmetrical, one on each side of his chest, spaced evenly apart and running between his nipples. She gasped softly in shock and surprise when she looked at his legs. Both of his thighs had been punctured over and over, seemingly by a heavy-gauge syringe needle.

"Max, what happened to you?" Suddenly, she found herself deposited head-first onto the other side of her bed. Just as soon as he could, Max was dressed and ready to go, Starling questioning him the entire time. He stopped at the door, turned back to give her a sad, almost apologetic look, then quickly made his exit.

"Max..." She gasped out softly. Clearly, he didn't want to talk about it...


	6. A Friend

When Starling finally found her elusive lover, he was staring at the night's sky, watching a meteor shower pass above. His eyes were blank, seemingly empty as he stared into the heavens above. She scooted in next to him, gently clutching his upper arm and nuzzling her head against his shoulder. He slowly looked down at her, frowning sadly.

"St-Starling, I-I'm... I'm so so-sorry..." He spoke very softly, his voice almost a whisper. The young woman smiled softly and kissed his cheek.

"It's okay, Max... I'm sorry, too..."

"What are you sorry for?"

"For whatever I said that upset you so much... thinking back, I must have asked you a question that was too personal-"

"Starling, you ha-have to understand... not all Onyxians are like me... most aren't... th-they..." He turned to look away, tears slowly sliding down his pale cheeks.

"Max, would... would you be willing to tell me what happened?" He nodded slowly, and began his story...

_Flashback: 6 Years Ago..._

"So, _this_ is what the inside of an Onyxian looks like... how disappointing..." Master Cyclonis looked into the open chest of a dead Onyxian warrior. An assistant handed her a towel, which she used to wipe her blood-soaked hands.

"I'm sorry my fellow warriors couldn't help you, you heartless bitch..." Max stated angrily, starting at her from his place on the wall.

"Oh, don't worry... now that I have a _live_ Onyxian to experiment on, I won't need to keep doing these pointless autopsies..."

"_What_?"

"You see, Max, this isn't just about our little war... what I'm doing here reaches much farther into the future of Cyclonia..."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Once I find a weakness in Onyxian physiology, I can exploit it and decimate the Chancellor's Army, giving me free reign to expand into your territory... of course, it'll also give me access to Onyxian state secrets, like how you manage to keep coming up with enough crystals to fight me!" The black-haired woman spun around, briskly walked over to the chained-up hybrid, and jabbed a needle into his left thigh.

"A little shot of this..." She pushed in the plunger on the syringe, filling her helpless victim with a red, glowing substance. "... and you'll stay nice and docile for me while I work." She smiled playfully, running one finger under his chin, caressing him tenderly.

"Pity, though... having to destroy such a handsome species..."

"Don't think for one minute that we'll _ever_ let this happen..."

"My dear boy, you already have..." The sorceress cackled loudly, watching with a demonic smile as the tall warrior's limbs went limp, his body submitting to the paralyzing agent.

_26 Hours Later..._

"Mmm... it seems Compound 426-A has no outstanding effect, either... on to 882-B!" Cyclonis walked back over to the whimpering Onyxian chained to the laboratory wall. Another needle poke, another plunger pushed, and Max once again screamed in agony as his body was wracked with pain. Tears streaming down his face, he slowly managed to lift his head. His captor saw this, lifting his chin to stare into his eyes.

"Y'know, Max... I can make the pain go away... I can end your suffering..." His eyes pleaded for mercy, but his lips remained still.

"C'mon... tell me what I want to know, and I promise I will let you go..." Again, only silence.

"_Max_, I know this hurts or you wouldn't be screamed so much... tell me what I want to know..." Her voice became more stern as she grew impatient.

"N-ne... never..." The hybrid responded between ragged breaths. Slowly, Cyclonis drew closer, brandished a scalpel, and began cutting into the flesh of his torso.

"Such... tough skin you have, Max... that's... good to know sooner rather than... later..." She grunted out between straining groans as she struggled to cut him open. Suddenly, the blade of the scalpel snapped off with a metallic "twang", flying across the room and lodging itself into the work table a few yards away. As she eyed the broken instrument, her mouth agape with shock, she felt a small smile come over her face.

"Well, now that I know for sure what I'm dealing with..." She smiled bigger, walking over to the table and retrieving a much stronger blade. "...I can continue without that happening again." She went back to work, slowly sliding the thicker scalpel into his skin.

"P-please, stop! I c-can't take anymore!" The young warrior's eyes filled with tears again as he pleaded with the demonic woman.

"Max, _I_ can't make this stop; I don't have that power. _You_ are the only one who can end this misery." She smiled sadistically as he panted. "Tell me how much you want me to stop, Max; _beg_ me to end this, make me _believe_ it, and I'll let you leave right now." Her evil smile grew bigger. Drawing up all the energy he could find, he regained his breath and put on his most supplicant voice.

"Please, master. Please end my torturous life here. I can't live this way anymore, master. I need to be free of this pain. I beg my master to show me mercy and let me go; I promise, master, if you let me leave this place, I will serve you forever." She scowled in disgust; she realized he was mocking her, his large grey eyes still filled with contempt and defiance.

"You liar!" She struck him across the face with the scalpel, making him cry out as she began digging her finger into the new cut on his cheek.

"You _still_ defy me, Max! Even after _everything_ I've done to you, you _**still**_ defy me! I _**will **_break you, Max, even if it's the last thing I ever do!" The woman screamed in anger, digging her nails into the tortured flesh as he writhed in agony.

"I… will… make… you… _**suffer**_ for this, Max! No one defies me! _**No one**_! You don't know pain yet, boy! I have _**yet**_ to inflict pain on you! I will show you a hell unlike _**anything**_ you can imagine; I will torture you until you beg me to kill you, only for me to rend your flesh even more! When I finish with you, you will tell me _**everything**_ I wish to know, and then some! I will have your secrets yet, boy! There's no one alive who can resist me forever!" His eyes filled with hate and fury, he spat in her face, his saliva mixing with his black blood as he growled contemptuously.

"_**Do**_… _**your**_… _**worst**_! I will _**never**_break, Cyclonis! _**Never**_!" Locked in a battle of wills with her, Max fought as hard as he could. Continuing her nightmarish experiments, she threw her full knowledge of torture into breaking him, trying to learn something, _anything_ she could use against his species.

Today…

"It took her almost two more days before she finally gave up on trying to get to me. I was the first person she'd ever found that she couldn't force into submission." His eyes filled with tears at the extremely painful memories, he gingerly traced along his uniform, running his fingers over the spots where she knew the scars were on his chest.

"Max…"

"I swore the day I broke free that I'd use my last breath to kill her. When I heard that she'd fallen, I was devastated; my quest for vengeance was rendered moot. All I'd wanted was to wrap my hands around her throat and crush her windpipe between my fingers, slowly enough that she could feel the life draining from her body. But before I killed her, I… I planned to do something that I'm no longer proud to say."

"What?"

"After… after I was done torturing this demon, I would've… I would have raped her. I would have violated her as one last act of defiance. I would have used her body to my advantage, ripped the beating heart from her chest, and then left her to the scavengers." His eyes flared in disgust and rage, his powerful hands slowly curling into fists as he thought back on his plan for revenge; he clearly hated this woman with every fiber of his being. Taken aback, Starling's eyes were wide with shock and terror; just who _was_ this man? More importantly, did she still feel safe to be around him, knowing him so well now? Against her better judgment, she told herself he would never do such a thing to her; she would simply never enrage him to such a point.

"Max, I'm so sorry about what happened to you; I would never wish such things on my worst enemies." She snuggled close to him, softly kissing his cheek as he sniffled sadly.

"But if you're still willing, I'd like to be there for you. I want you to know that I care about you very much, Max, and I want to get to know all about you. I want you to feel safe with me; I want you to feel like you can tell me anything. More to the point, I want you to know that there are still people who care about you, even if it doesn't always seem obvious to you. Let me stay here, Max, by your side. I promise, you won't regret it." She tenderly kissed his forehead, pulling him closer as he gasped a bit.

"I… I think I'd like that, Starling. You… you make me feel calm. You help take the edge off, help soothe my nerves just by being near me. My anger and bloodlust, it… it threatened to consume me once. I feel different when you're around. I-I… I'm better with you." He kissed her on the lips, a soft, tender kiss that made her moan in surprise.

"Perhaps, in time, I'll tell you more of my past, Starling. But for now, I simply want you to be my… to be my…"

"I'll be just about anything you want, Max…" She smiled happily, then realizing her words, quickly corrected herself. "within reason. Always within reason." She giggled as he smiled to her, happiness filling both of them as they'd finally found someone they could keep close. They left there together, both wanting the other's pleasure as they held each other close, sharing a kiss as they thought of all the things they wanted their new partner to be; lover,, voice of reason, and, most of all, friend.


End file.
